Light-sensitive materials comprising a light-sensitive layer containing silver halide, a reducing agent and a polymerizable compound provided on a support can be used in an image forming method in which a latent image of silver halide is formed, and then the polymerizable compound is polymerized to form the corresponding image.
Examples of said image forming methods are described in Japanese Patent Publications No. 45(1970)-11149 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 3,697,275), No. 47(1972)-20741 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 3,687,667) and No. 49(1974)-10697, and Japanese Patent Provisional Publications No. 57(1982)-138632, No. 57(1982)-142638, No. 57(1982)-176033, No. 57(1982)-211146 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,997), No. 58(1983)-107529 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,637), No. 58(1983)-121031 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,547,450) and No. 58(1983)-169143. In these image forming methods, when the exposed silver halide is developed using a developing solution, the polymerizable compound is induced to polymerize in the presence of a reducing agent (which is oxidized) to form a polymer image. Thus, these methods need a wet development process employing a developing solution. Therefore the process takes a relatively long time for the operation.
An improved image forming method employing a dry process is described in Japanese Patent Provisional Publications No. 61(1986)-69062 and No. 61(1986)-73145 (the contents of both publications are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,676 and European Patent Provisional Publication No. 0174634A2). In this image forming method, a recording material (i.e., light-sensitive material) comprising a light-sensitive layer containing a light-sensitive silver salt (i.e., silver halide), a reducing agent, a cross-linkable compound (i.e., polymerizable compound) and a binder provided on a support is imagewise exposed to light so as to form a latent image, and then the material is heated to form a polymer within the area where the latent image of the silver halide has been formed. The above method employing the dry process and the light-sensitive material employable for such method are also described in Japanese Patent Provisional Publications Nos. 61(1986)-183640, No. 61(1986)-188535, No. 61(1986)-228441 and No. 61(1986)-278849.
The above-mentioned image forming methods are based on the principle in which the polymerizable compound is polymerized within the area where a latent image of the silver halide has been formed.
Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 61(1986)-260241 describe another image forming method in which the polymerizable compound within the area where a latent image of the silver halide has not been formed is polymerized. In this method, when the material is heated, the reducing agent functions as polymerization inhibitor within the area where a latent image of the silver halide has been formed, and the polymerizable compound within the other area is polymerized.
Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 61(1986)-73145 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,676 and European Patent Provisional Publication No. 0174634A2) describes an embodiment of the image forming method, which comprises: imagewise exposing a light-sensitive material comprising a light-sensitive layer containing silver halide, a reducing agent and a polymerizable compound provided on a support to form a latent image of silver halide; simultaneously or thereafter developing the light-sensitive material; and pressing the light-sensitive material on an image-receiving material to transfer the unpolymerized polymerizable compound to the image-receiving material.
As the support for the light-sensitive material, a paper is sometimes employed, because a paper is disposable. lightweight and easy to handle.